The Reagan-Gorbachev Summits and the INF Treaty, 1985-87 - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

15 original exam-style questions - 4 pages of questions with a full mark scheme - free printable PDF.

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This topic is chapter 11 of GCSE History: Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 Practice Book.

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4.11 The Reagan-Gorbachev Summits and the INF Treaty, 1985-87

EDEXCEL 1HI0 · about 55 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Write in full sentences for Questions 13, 14 and 15. You are advised to spend about 65 minutes on this pack.

Give the year in which Ronald Reagan first met Mikhail Gorbachev at a summit in Geneva.

(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)

Name the US president who negotiated with Mikhail Gorbachev over arms reductions in 1985-87.

(Total for Question 2 is 1 mark)

Name the Soviet leader who met Ronald Reagan during the 1985-87 summit series.

(Total for Question 3 is 1 mark)

Give one reason why the Geneva summit of 1985 was important for later negotiations between Reagan and Gorbachev.

(Total for Question 4 is 1 mark)

State two features of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed in December 1987.

(Total for Question 5 is 2 marks)

Give the location of the 1986 summit where Reagan and Gorbachev nearly agreed to deep cuts in nuclear weapons but failed to settle the issue of the Strategic Defense Initiative.

(Total for Question 6 is 1 mark)

Name one US policy or programme that caused disagreement at the Reykjavik summit of 1986.

(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)

Give the city where Reagan and Gorbachev signed the INF Treaty in December 1987.

(Total for Question 8 is 1 mark)

Name the treaty clause type that allowed inspectors from both sides to verify compliance with the INF Treaty.

(Total for Question 9 is 1 mark)

Name one concrete step agreed or achieved as a direct result of the Washington summit of 1987 besides signing the INF Treaty.

(Total for Question 10 is 1 mark)

State two aims Ronald Reagan had in negotiating with Gorbachev at the summits of 1985-87.

(Total for Question 11 is 2 marks)

State two reasons why verification measures were important to both the USA and the USSR in the INF negotiations.

(Total for Question 12 is 2 marks)

Explain two consequences of the INF Treaty of December 1987 for superpower relations and European security.

(Total for Question 13 is 8 marks)

Write a narrative account analysing how the summit meetings at Geneva (1985), Reykjavik (1986) and Washington (1987) built on one another to produce the INF Treaty.

You may use the following in your answer:
- the establishment of personal contact and dialogue at Geneva in 1985
- the near breakthrough and the sticking point over SDI at Reykjavik in 1986

You should also use information of your own.

(Total for Question 14 is 8 marks)

Explain two of the following:
(a) the importance of verification measures for the success of the INF Treaty
(b) the importance of leadership and personal rapport between Reagan and Gorbachev in reaching agreement
(c) the importance of technical and legal detail, such as timetables and destruction protocols, in making the INF Treaty workable

You must answer on TWO parts.

(Total for Question 15 is 16 marks)

Mark scheme · 4.11 The Reagan-Gorbachev Summits and the INF Treaty, 1985-87

Question 1

B1 1985
Answer: 1985

Question 2

B1 Ronald Reagan
Answer: Ronald Reagan

Question 3

B1 Mikhail Gorbachev
Answer: Mikhail Gorbachev

Question 4

B1 it established personal rapport and regular dialogue between Reagan and Gorbachev, creating momentum for future talks
Answer: It established personal rapport and regular dialogue between Reagan and Gorbachev, creating momentum for future talks.

Question 5

B1 it eliminated an entire class of ground-launched missiles with ranges between about 500 and 5500 kilometres
B1 it established verification measures including on-site inspections to ensure missiles and launchers were destroyed
Answer: It eliminated ground-launched missiles with ranges of about 500-5500 km, and it set up verification measures including on-site inspections.

Question 6

B1 Reykjavik
Answer: Reykjavik

Question 7

B1 the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
Answer: The Strategic Defense Initiative

Question 8

B1 Washington
Answer: Washington

Question 9

B1 on-site inspections
Answer: On-site inspections

Question 10

B1 agreement on detailed plans and timetables for the elimination of specified missiles and launchers
Answer: Agreement on detailed plans and timetables for destroying specified missiles and launchers.

Question 11

B1 to reduce the risk of nuclear war by cutting certain classes of nuclear weapons, such as intermediate-range missiles
B1 to build a working personal relationship with Gorbachev that could lead to wider arms-control agreements
Answer: He aimed to reduce the risk of nuclear war by cutting missiles like those covered by the INF Treaty, and to build a working personal relationship with Gorbachev to enable wider arms-control deals.

Question 12

B1 to provide confidence that the other side was actually destroying weapons and not cheating
B1 to reduce the risk of misunderstandings that could lead to renewed arms competition or crisis
Answer: Verification gave confidence the other side was destroying weapons and reduced the risk of misunderstandings that could cause renewed arms competition or crisis.

Question 13

Level 1 (1-2): Identifies one or two simple consequences of the INF Treaty with little or no supporting detail or explanation.
Level 2 (3-4): Identifies and begins to explain one consequence, supported by some accurate detail.
Level 3 (5-6): Explains two consequences with relevant and accurate detail, showing how each followed from the treaty.
Level 4 (7-8): Explains two consequences in a well-developed, analytical way, showing clear links between the treaty, verification measures and wider effects on superpower relations or European security.
Indicative content:
- Reduction in immediate military tension in Europe because the removal of US and Soviet SS-20, Pershing II and cruise missiles lowered the prospect of a short-notice nuclear strike on European targets, improving security for NATO members.
- Improved trust and cooperation between the superpowers, since the successful negotiation and verification regime demonstrated that the USA and the USSR could agree verifiable arms control, paving the way for subsequent agreements such as START talks.
- Political gains for Reagan and Gorbachev, enhancing their international credibility and domestic standing: Reagan could claim progress on disarmament, and Gorbachev could show he could negotiate meaningful arms reductions without losing Soviet security.
- A shift in NATO politics, where European allies felt more secure and less vulnerable to being battlefield targets between the superpowers, reducing pressure for unilateral deployments and easing popular protest against nuclear missiles in Europe.

Question 14

Level 1 (1-2): Provides a brief or fragmented sequence of events with little analysis of connections between summits.
Level 2 (3-4): Sets out a basic sequence of events across the summits and begins to show how they link, with some accurate detail.
Level 3 (5-6): Provides a coherent narrative of the three summits, analysing how developments at each meeting helped or hindered progress, supported by accurate detail.
Level 4 (7-8): Delivers a well-organised, analytical narrative that clearly explains how Geneva, Reykjavik and Washington built on one another to produce the INF Treaty, with precise and relevant supporting detail.
Indicative content:
- Geneva 1985 opened sustained personal contact between Reagan and Gorbachev, establishing trust, agreeing to continue talks and setting the agenda for arms control, including intermediate-range systems.
- At Reykjavik 1986 the leaders moved from general goodwill to concrete ideas, nearly agreeing on deep reductions, showing how far talks had progressed, but talks faltered mainly because Gorbachev wanted limits on SDI and Reagan would not abandon research into missile defence.
- Reykjavik's failure clarified the exact points of disagreement and led negotiators to focus on more limited, achievable goals such as eliminating intermediate-range missiles, where agreement and verification were possible.
- Washington 1987 took the technical and political work forward, converting earlier goodwill and the lessons of Reykjavik into a legally binding treaty with clear verification procedures, culminating in the signing of the INF Treaty in December 1987.

Question 15

Level 1 (1-4): For each part answered: gives a general identification of importance with little or no supporting detail or explanation.
Level 2 (5-8): For each part answered: begins to explain importance, supported by some accurate detail and some analysis of consequences.
Level 3 (9-12): For each part answered: explains importance clearly, supported by accurate and relevant detail and analysis of how it affected the treaty's success.
Level 4 (13-16): For each part answered: provides a well-developed analytical explanation of importance with precise, sustained supporting detail, showing clear links to outcomes and wider effects on superpower relations.
Indicative content:
- (a) Verification measures were crucial because they made reductions credible; on-site inspections and agreed procedures meant each side could be confident the other was destroying missiles, which reduced fears of cheating and thus made agreement politically acceptable.
- (b) Leadership and personal rapport mattered because Reagan and Gorbachev could set the tone and political will for negotiators; their ability to meet, discuss frankly and sign agreements helped overcome bureaucratic obstacles and created the high-level momentum necessary for treaty conclusion.
- (c) Technical and legal detail was important because clear timetables, specified lists of systems to be eliminated and formal destruction protocols turned political commitments into enforceable actions, limiting ambiguity and making implementation verifiable and manageable.

The Reagan-Gorbachev Summits and the INF Treaty, 1985-87 - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

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4.11 The Reagan-Gorbachev Summits and the INF Treaty, 1985-87

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